Caregivers, Children With Asthma Tend to Agree About QOL

(HealthDay News) – Caregivers of children with asthma generally report similar quality of life (QOL) as their children, but their responses differ significantly for activity limitation, according to a study published in the July issue of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology.

Margaret L. Burks, MD, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and colleagues examined the agreement between children with asthma and their caregivers regarding health-related QOL, specifically in the domains of activity limitation, emotional function, and overall QOL. Seventy-nine children (aged 5–17 years) with acute and refractory asthma (53 and 26, respectively) completed the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire, and their caregivers completed the Pediatric Asthma Caregiver’s Quality of Life Questionnaire.

The researchers found that similar scores were reported by children with asthma and their caregivers, with moderate correlations noted in emotional function and overall QOL domains. In response to questions about activity limitations, children reported significantly better QOL than did their caregivers. Male responses were more likely than female responses to be different from their caregivers, particularly with regard to activity limitation.

“Although caregivers of children with asthma can provide useful proxy information about QOL, their responses cannot be substituted for their children’s reports regarding activity limitation,” the authors write. “Clinicians and researchers should ask both children and their caregivers about asthma-specific QOL.”

Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)